Britain lifts arms embargo on Azerbaijan and Armenia

Britain has fully lifted its embargo on arms supplies to Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to a written statement by Minister of State for Europe and North America Stephen Doughty published on the UK parliament website.

The statement said London welcomed progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, calling the move “an important step towards peace and stability.”

Doughty recalled that on Aug. 8 a trilateral summit was held in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which resulted in the initialing of a peace treaty and the signing of a joint declaration.

Britain also decided to raise its relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia to the level of strategic partnership in trade, security and defence.

“We supported the dissolution of the Minsk Group. In view of the progress achieved, we consider the OSCE embargo introduced in 1992 obsolete. The UK is fully lifting the embargo on arms supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan. This will help develop cooperation in security and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries, including responses to hybrid threats. Export licenses will be reviewed individually against strict criteria,” the statement said.